Yesterday's calories: 1,842
Yesterday's protein: 69 grams
This morning's exercise: Ran 4 miles, nice steady pace
This morning's weight: 156.2
Yesterday was a weird day because I got very little sleep the night before, woke up late, had a late breakfast, skipped lunch and ended up going out to dinner with Steve. We had a nice meal at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Guadalajara. So while my calories were not way out of whack, I didn't focus enough on protein and was short on protein for the day.
This morning I need to get to work early so I can leave early this afternoon. Therefore, I'm ending this post here.
More tomorrow!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
8/29/13: Late Start
Yesterday's calories: 1834 (234 above target)
Yesterday's protein: 112 grams (In target range - at least 100 grams a day)
This morning's exercise: Day off. Wednesdays are bowling days. Thursdays will be my regular day off.
This morning's weight: 156.6 - I've lost 6.4 pounds of the silly 8 that I gained last week. Only 1.6 pounds to go and I get to 155.0, which has been, more or less, my "standard weight" for the last 8 months. I guess this is proof of the old adage, "Easy come, easy go." After that last "easy" 1.6 pounds come off, I will be tackling a much more stubborn 15 pounds, I'm sure.
Jack and I picked up Steve from the airport at 11:30 last night, then I was at work from 12:30am to 2:30 am this morning. I was back at the airport dropping Jack off at 5:30am, so I came home after that and took a bit of a nap. That is the reason for the late start.
Calories? What to do about calories? It is very difficult to get 100 grams of protein in and eat less than 1600 calories a day. I think I will change my calorie goal to between 1800 - 2000 calories a day. Perhaps with the amount of exercising I am doing, that will be sufficient for a very gradual weight loss.
The protein is important because I don't want to lose any muscle while I lose this last 15 pounds. I want to lose only fat, so that I am improving my strength as I lose weight. I don't need to lose fat quickly, I need to lose it carefully. I am taking the strength training very seriously, as well as the running, biking, and swimming. If I don't slowly lose weight at 1800 - 2000 calories a day, I can either increase the exercise, or decrease the calories.
Let's see what happens.
Yesterday's protein: 112 grams (In target range - at least 100 grams a day)
This morning's exercise: Day off. Wednesdays are bowling days. Thursdays will be my regular day off.
This morning's weight: 156.6 - I've lost 6.4 pounds of the silly 8 that I gained last week. Only 1.6 pounds to go and I get to 155.0, which has been, more or less, my "standard weight" for the last 8 months. I guess this is proof of the old adage, "Easy come, easy go." After that last "easy" 1.6 pounds come off, I will be tackling a much more stubborn 15 pounds, I'm sure.
Jack and I picked up Steve from the airport at 11:30 last night, then I was at work from 12:30am to 2:30 am this morning. I was back at the airport dropping Jack off at 5:30am, so I came home after that and took a bit of a nap. That is the reason for the late start.
Calories? What to do about calories? It is very difficult to get 100 grams of protein in and eat less than 1600 calories a day. I think I will change my calorie goal to between 1800 - 2000 calories a day. Perhaps with the amount of exercising I am doing, that will be sufficient for a very gradual weight loss.
The protein is important because I don't want to lose any muscle while I lose this last 15 pounds. I want to lose only fat, so that I am improving my strength as I lose weight. I don't need to lose fat quickly, I need to lose it carefully. I am taking the strength training very seriously, as well as the running, biking, and swimming. If I don't slowly lose weight at 1800 - 2000 calories a day, I can either increase the exercise, or decrease the calories.
Let's see what happens.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
8/28/13: Emotions at War
Yesterday's Calories: 1,948 (348 over target range)
Yesterday's Protein: 107 grams (Within target range - Yeah!!)
This Morning's Weight: 158.0 (5 down, 3 to go to get to pre-screw-around-week "normal weight" of 155)
This Morning's Exercise: 4 mile run (combination running fast, sprinting, slow jog, and walk)
"Emotions at War," pretty much sums up my yesterday.
On the plus side, I am still riding pretty high on my decision to become a strong athlete. What does this mean, exactly? It means that someday I want to be able to compete in triathlons (within my age group), not just finish them. Part of my advantage may just be that I outlive the competition - but that's OK with me. The triathlon that Ruth and I did last week was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but it left me with such a feeling of accomplishment. I CAN swim. I CAN cycle. I CAN run. And I CAN put all three together. I know I can get better and faster at all three sports as long as I work hard. I liked the the triathlon event. I like that training for triathlons forces me to train in three different sports which I feel like keeps me from overly stressing my body in any one sport. In order to actually get good at triathlons I am going to have to be very dedicated to my training. This year, when I was training for the tri, I was using the tri as a goal to keep me from falling off the exercise band-wagon. I was afraid of slipping into old habits, so having the tri out there as a goal that kept me exercising. Training for the 2013 tri was more about exercising then it was about actually training for the event.
Now I have decided to take it beyond just using the tri as a motivation to exercise. I want to get good at this sport. That means I am not just exercising, I am training. Those feel like two completely different things. One is because I have to, the other is because I want to. Exercising requires diligence and consistency and commitment. Training requires all of those things and really hard work. I need to push myself. I am excited about this decision and it makes me feel good about the year to come.
On the not so plus side is work. I won't get into a public discussion of what is going on at the moment, but it is weighing heavily on me. I did eat some chocolate at the end of the day, yesterday, that contributed to me going over my allotted calories for the day. In the plus side, I did get all my protein in, so that is good.
Yesterday ended up being a day of high highs and low lows. Huge mood swings, throughout the day. I was glad when the day was over and I was able to crawl into bed. The mood swings may be partly due to my recovery from last week's excesses, too. My blood chemistry is probably fighting to get back to normal after eating wheat and drinking alcohol last week. I am glad to be back to more normal and healthier eating and drinking this week.
Here's to a steadier day!!
Yesterday's Protein: 107 grams (Within target range - Yeah!!)
This Morning's Weight: 158.0 (5 down, 3 to go to get to pre-screw-around-week "normal weight" of 155)
This Morning's Exercise: 4 mile run (combination running fast, sprinting, slow jog, and walk)
"Emotions at War," pretty much sums up my yesterday.
On the plus side, I am still riding pretty high on my decision to become a strong athlete. What does this mean, exactly? It means that someday I want to be able to compete in triathlons (within my age group), not just finish them. Part of my advantage may just be that I outlive the competition - but that's OK with me. The triathlon that Ruth and I did last week was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but it left me with such a feeling of accomplishment. I CAN swim. I CAN cycle. I CAN run. And I CAN put all three together. I know I can get better and faster at all three sports as long as I work hard. I liked the the triathlon event. I like that training for triathlons forces me to train in three different sports which I feel like keeps me from overly stressing my body in any one sport. In order to actually get good at triathlons I am going to have to be very dedicated to my training. This year, when I was training for the tri, I was using the tri as a goal to keep me from falling off the exercise band-wagon. I was afraid of slipping into old habits, so having the tri out there as a goal that kept me exercising. Training for the 2013 tri was more about exercising then it was about actually training for the event.
Now I have decided to take it beyond just using the tri as a motivation to exercise. I want to get good at this sport. That means I am not just exercising, I am training. Those feel like two completely different things. One is because I have to, the other is because I want to. Exercising requires diligence and consistency and commitment. Training requires all of those things and really hard work. I need to push myself. I am excited about this decision and it makes me feel good about the year to come.
On the not so plus side is work. I won't get into a public discussion of what is going on at the moment, but it is weighing heavily on me. I did eat some chocolate at the end of the day, yesterday, that contributed to me going over my allotted calories for the day. In the plus side, I did get all my protein in, so that is good.
Yesterday ended up being a day of high highs and low lows. Huge mood swings, throughout the day. I was glad when the day was over and I was able to crawl into bed. The mood swings may be partly due to my recovery from last week's excesses, too. My blood chemistry is probably fighting to get back to normal after eating wheat and drinking alcohol last week. I am glad to be back to more normal and healthier eating and drinking this week.
Here's to a steadier day!!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
8/27/13: Back At It: Day 2
It feels GREAT to be Back At It!!
Yesterday's total calories: 1516 (within goal range)
Yesterday's grams of protein: 79 (21 grams light)
Yesterday's exercise: 4 mile run
Today's exercise: Strength training - lower body
This morning's weight: 159.8
Yes, I have lost 3.2 pounds since Sunday morning. That week of silly eating really packed on the water weight, I guess. I hope to drop the rest of that ridiculous 8 pounds very quickly, as well. Then I will be into the real job of going from 155, which has been my stable weight for the last 8 months, to 140.
I am very pleased with my decision to get to 140 pounds and to improve my strength to weight ratio. Finally I know that my long term goal is to be a very strong athlete. I am so inspired by my sister, Ruth. She made that triathlon look easy. I know with hard work and consistent effort, I can do that, too. It will take a lot of work, it will not always be comfortable, it will be incredibly challenging, but the only way for me to improve is to challenge myself. I can't explain my need to feel challenged, but since I have accepted the goal of becoming a strong athlete my mind set during my workouts has changed. It's not any more fun, per se, but it's more interesting. I find myself accepting the fact that this is hard in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. Of course it's hard. Any athlete that wants to actually compete has to work hard and push themselves beyond what is comfortable.
I guess that's the long and the short of it. This is not about being comfortable, it's about excelling. I want to excel at triathlons. I have found my sport and I intend to get good at it. I like that way that feels.
Yesterday's total calories: 1516 (within goal range)
Yesterday's grams of protein: 79 (21 grams light)
Yesterday's exercise: 4 mile run
Today's exercise: Strength training - lower body
This morning's weight: 159.8
Yes, I have lost 3.2 pounds since Sunday morning. That week of silly eating really packed on the water weight, I guess. I hope to drop the rest of that ridiculous 8 pounds very quickly, as well. Then I will be into the real job of going from 155, which has been my stable weight for the last 8 months, to 140.
I am very pleased with my decision to get to 140 pounds and to improve my strength to weight ratio. Finally I know that my long term goal is to be a very strong athlete. I am so inspired by my sister, Ruth. She made that triathlon look easy. I know with hard work and consistent effort, I can do that, too. It will take a lot of work, it will not always be comfortable, it will be incredibly challenging, but the only way for me to improve is to challenge myself. I can't explain my need to feel challenged, but since I have accepted the goal of becoming a strong athlete my mind set during my workouts has changed. It's not any more fun, per se, but it's more interesting. I find myself accepting the fact that this is hard in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. Of course it's hard. Any athlete that wants to actually compete has to work hard and push themselves beyond what is comfortable.
I guess that's the long and the short of it. This is not about being comfortable, it's about excelling. I want to excel at triathlons. I have found my sport and I intend to get good at it. I like that way that feels.
Monday, August 26, 2013
8/26/13: Back At It, Day 1
I woke up this morning and went for a 4 mile run. Then I cooked breakfast which consisted of 3 eggs with sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms, and a 1/4 of cantaloupe. The onions, peppers, and cantaloupe were all from my garden.
Last night I cooked several chicken breasts, so I will have those to eat for a couple of days, as well as some frozen homemade soup that I still have in the freezer. My snack will be Greek yogurt with frozen berries.
My weight this morning was 162 pounds, so I lost one of the eight pounds that I gained last week. I am still reeling over that. I can't believe I gained that much weight in that short of a period of time. I am sure a significant part of it is water and it will come off quickly, but still. 8 pounds??
The run wasn't easy but it wasn't crazy hard either. I thought a lot about my triathlon and how much I am looking forward to being in much better shape next year, when I do it again. There is only one way to get there, and that is to get up in the morning and run!! I am glad to be back "on the program." It'll be interesting to see how my mindset changes over the next several months.
Starting today I am counting calories and protein and I will try to post each morning, with the previous day's results.
Until tomorrow...
Last night I cooked several chicken breasts, so I will have those to eat for a couple of days, as well as some frozen homemade soup that I still have in the freezer. My snack will be Greek yogurt with frozen berries.
My weight this morning was 162 pounds, so I lost one of the eight pounds that I gained last week. I am still reeling over that. I can't believe I gained that much weight in that short of a period of time. I am sure a significant part of it is water and it will come off quickly, but still. 8 pounds??
The run wasn't easy but it wasn't crazy hard either. I thought a lot about my triathlon and how much I am looking forward to being in much better shape next year, when I do it again. There is only one way to get there, and that is to get up in the morning and run!! I am glad to be back "on the program." It'll be interesting to see how my mindset changes over the next several months.
Starting today I am counting calories and protein and I will try to post each morning, with the previous day's results.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, August 25, 2013
8/25/13 - China, Camping, and Triathlon, Oh My!!!
It has been a long, long time since I blogged. In some respects that is because life had gotten boring. In other respects it's because life got a little too crazy.
On the boring side, there were not a lot of new things to talk about with regard to my weight loss and fitness goals. My weight was holding steady between about 153 - 156 pounds. I was continuing to train for my triathlon which consisted of running a couple times a week, biking once a week, and swimming once a week. I was also strength training 2 - 3 times a week.
My food was pretty consistent, day-in and day-out. I was not eating any wheat, I was trying to consistently eat a significant amount of protein, and I was drinking very little alcohol. In short, I was doing all of the things that I learned how to do during the 11 months that I was losing weight and those things have helped me maintain my weight since I reached goal in January of this year.
On the too crazy side of things, my spring and summer have been absolutely nuts at work. I went to China for a week in May, then went back for another three weeks in July. I spent the month of June preparing for our annual audit, which meant a lot of late nights and weekends. Beginning from about mid-May until the end of July, I don't think I had a weekend off. I was also working a lot of late nights and going into work early in the mornings. The very long days and weekends at work, coupled with the 2 trips (totaling 4 weeks) to China from the end of May until the end of July, made for a very hectic and tiring summer. I tried to stick to my normal training schedule as much as possible, but there was no way I could train as consistently as I wanted to. But I kept pushing and I kept swimming, biking, and running through it all.
I got back from my last trip to China at midnight on Thursday, July 25th. I went to work early the next morning, because I only had one day at home before Jack and I were leaving on vacation to spend a week camping in the Colorado Rockies with our 4 grandchildren, ages 4, 6, 7 and 9. Tent camping, that is.
The camping trip with our grandchildren was amazing. Our daughter-in-law, Rebecca, was lucky enough to have the use of her family's mountain house which was about 30 minutes from our campsite. Rebecca stayed there with her baby, James, and we kept the other four kids at the campsite with us. Most days we would hook up with Rebecca and James for part of the day for an event like camping or going to the silver mines, so that was really nice. One or two afternoons we just hung out in the cabin for a couple of hours so we could take showers and sit back and relax. But for the majority of the time Jack and I wrangled the kids on our own which gave Rebecca a chance to have a vacation of her own and gave us a chance to bond with our grandkids. All in all, the trip was a great success, but coming on the heals of my 3 week trip to China, it was completely exhausting.
Alas, there was to be no rest for the wicked because 2 weeks after getting home from Colorado I was participating in the 2013 Jackson County Triathlon. This was my first triathlon and my sister and I were planning on doing the long course together. The long course is a 1500 meter swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 5 mile run. It was the most difficult physical feat of my life.
During my training I had completed an entire tri of the above distances, but there was one big difference; I was swimming in a pool. Open water swimming is completely different. The buoys look so far away! You cannot touch the bottom of the lake. You can't see anything because the water is so murky. It's hard to stay on course. Unfortunately, I ended up having a panic attack in the water. I wasn't breathing, I couldn't swim, and I started beating myself up, mentally. I was very lucky to have my sister with me. She kept a watch out for me and pushed anyone off that was threatening to swim over me. She kept an eye on me and whenever my lips started turning blue due to a lack of oxygen she slowed me down and had me swim breast stroke. There was a moment when I couldn't conceive of finishing the entire distance, but we kept swimming and we made it the entire 1500 meters. This picture is of me and Ruth before we got in the water. We look happy, don't we?
Here's the lake we are about to get into:
Well I look even happier in this next picture, where I am getting out of the water!
Yes, I was very, very glad the swim was done.
And here is Ruth getting out of the water:
It was a piece of cake, for her. I'm in awe. She is an incredible athlete.
After the swim comes the bike, and here we are getting ready to mount for the bike ride:
You can see that I am still struggling to breathe and regain my composure after the panic attack in the water. I didn't finally relax until we were at about mile 3 into the run. It is surprising how much a panic attack takes out of you. One of the results was that I couldn't eat on the bike. I just couldn't force anything into my stomach.
Here we are finishing up the bike ride:
I did OK on the bike ride, in spite of my inability to eat anything; but the run came next and that was hell. I had nothing left in my gas tank, I was still breathing too shallowly from my panic attack, and my legs were tired. We jogged more than we walked, but I did walk a portion of the 5 miles. I had a problem with my thighs cramping pretty badly and I started to get migraine type blind spots in my right field of vision. They had water stops every mile and I started using Gu once the cramps started. That helped a lot!! By about the fourth mile of the five mile run, I actually started to feel slightly normal. Ruth and I had found a very slow and steady jogging pace that I could maintain, and we settled down and finished the last mile at a jog.
Here we are crossing the finish line:
It was totally Ruth's idea to let me finish in front of her. We should have probably crossed the finish line with linked arms. She was my rock through the entire thing.
So, I finished within regulation time. It took us 3 hours and 42 minutes which is SLOW, but we finished. I am very proud of the fact that I pushed through the panic attack and the painful cramps and finished anyway. I did what I set out to do, I finished my first tri.
Ruth and I are planning on doing it again next year, or perhaps a different tri closer to Ruth's home, but of a similar distance. This year's goal was to finish. Next year's goal is to finish with a better time. Our goal for next year is 3 hours and 15 minutes. This means I have to train!!
I do need to train and train hard, to reach my goal of 3 hours and 15 minutes a year from now; but I took this last week off, in more ways than one. After completing the tri a week ago, I spent the rest of Sunday lying on the couch, reading, and watching TV. I did not want to move a single muscle and I succeeded at that until I got up from the couch and waddled myself to bed. I woke up Monday morning feeling fine, but I did not feel like exercising, so I didn't. I already had training sessions scheduled with my trainer for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so I kept those appointments and we worked hard all three days. I did not do any other exercise this past week. I also ate too much. I ate whatever I felt like and found more than one opportunity to drink this week. I kind of decided that for one week, I just was not going to care about what I ate or drank and I was going to "live it up." It turned out to be a busy week for us, with a ballgame at the K Tuesday night (margaritas, peanuts, ice cream), our first night of league bowling on Wednesday evening (beer and popcorn), another ball game on Friday night (peanuts, only), the grand opening of our friends' winery on Saturday morning (uh...wine - and then lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Higginsville), and our friend's 40th birthday party Saturday night (wine, vodka-gingerale, Chipotle tacos, sushi, sashimi, and birthday cake). It was a very social week. I exercised no self control when it came to food or alcohol. I didn't even try. I didn't even want to try.
What was the result of all of the debauchery? It was not good, let me tell you. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I have easily maintained my weight between 152 - 156 pounds for the last 8 months. A couple of times it swung higher than that, but I would diet for a couple of days and exercise just a little control and it would be back at 154 - 155, easily. After 1 week of not watching my food...actually after 6 days...what did I weigh this morning? 163 pounds!!! Even I couldn't believe it. I weighed myself Monday morning after the tri and I weighed exactly 155.0 pounds. This morning I weighed 163 pounds. 8 pounds in six days. Unreal. Truly crazy. This, my friends, is why I will exercise 6 days a week and watch what I eat, consistently, for the rest of my life. It's just too easy to gain weight. I enjoyed the week. It actually felt good not to monitor everything I put in my mouth for a week. But by Friday I knew that Sunday was the day I would get back at it. I had a lot of fun Saturday, but all day I was looking forward to Sunday, knowing I was going to be back on my program. After weighing myself this morning, I had a vivid reminder of why I do what I do.
So, here is my new chart. Check it out!!!
My goal is to get to 140 pounds by the end of the year. In order to improve my tri time by 27 minutes I will need to improve my strength to weight ratio. I will be working closely with my trainer to get to 140 without losing muscle mass. I want it all to come from fat.
This is going to require me to be very conscientious about my protein intake, as well as calories and exercise. The bottom section of the chart is where I will record my daily exercise. My goal is 6 hours of exercise a week with a minimum of at least 3 hours of cardio and two hours of strength training, per week. A normal week will probably be two runs, one bike or swim, and 3 strength training sessions. I also have a goal to do one fun activity per month, like a long hike.
The middle section of my chart is where I will record my calories and grams of protein consumed, per day. The top section is for recording my weight. You can see that I expect to drop the first 8 pounds quicker than the rest. I really don't think it will take me 4 weeks to drop the 8 pounds I gained over the last 6 days, but I gave myself a little wiggle room. After that, I tapered off the line a little, because I know this last 15 pounds will be tough. Tough, but not impossible. It will get done. I will weigh 140 pounds by Christmas. I will have less fat and more muscle. I will be well on my way to improving my tri time.
I am going to use the tools that I know work for me. Of course, the chart is a given. The other tool that was very effective for me while I was losing weight was this blog. So yes, it's back up!! At a minimum I will post my morning weight, calories consumed, protein consumed, and exercise from the previous day. Of course, I will also talk about the day-to-day trials and tribulations of losing this last bit of weight and becoming a better athlete. My sister has inspired me. I know I can do this, I just have to work hard. Since when have I been afraid of hard work???
I will be talking to you soon!!
On the boring side, there were not a lot of new things to talk about with regard to my weight loss and fitness goals. My weight was holding steady between about 153 - 156 pounds. I was continuing to train for my triathlon which consisted of running a couple times a week, biking once a week, and swimming once a week. I was also strength training 2 - 3 times a week.
My food was pretty consistent, day-in and day-out. I was not eating any wheat, I was trying to consistently eat a significant amount of protein, and I was drinking very little alcohol. In short, I was doing all of the things that I learned how to do during the 11 months that I was losing weight and those things have helped me maintain my weight since I reached goal in January of this year.
On the too crazy side of things, my spring and summer have been absolutely nuts at work. I went to China for a week in May, then went back for another three weeks in July. I spent the month of June preparing for our annual audit, which meant a lot of late nights and weekends. Beginning from about mid-May until the end of July, I don't think I had a weekend off. I was also working a lot of late nights and going into work early in the mornings. The very long days and weekends at work, coupled with the 2 trips (totaling 4 weeks) to China from the end of May until the end of July, made for a very hectic and tiring summer. I tried to stick to my normal training schedule as much as possible, but there was no way I could train as consistently as I wanted to. But I kept pushing and I kept swimming, biking, and running through it all.
I got back from my last trip to China at midnight on Thursday, July 25th. I went to work early the next morning, because I only had one day at home before Jack and I were leaving on vacation to spend a week camping in the Colorado Rockies with our 4 grandchildren, ages 4, 6, 7 and 9. Tent camping, that is.
The camping trip with our grandchildren was amazing. Our daughter-in-law, Rebecca, was lucky enough to have the use of her family's mountain house which was about 30 minutes from our campsite. Rebecca stayed there with her baby, James, and we kept the other four kids at the campsite with us. Most days we would hook up with Rebecca and James for part of the day for an event like camping or going to the silver mines, so that was really nice. One or two afternoons we just hung out in the cabin for a couple of hours so we could take showers and sit back and relax. But for the majority of the time Jack and I wrangled the kids on our own which gave Rebecca a chance to have a vacation of her own and gave us a chance to bond with our grandkids. All in all, the trip was a great success, but coming on the heals of my 3 week trip to China, it was completely exhausting.
Alas, there was to be no rest for the wicked because 2 weeks after getting home from Colorado I was participating in the 2013 Jackson County Triathlon. This was my first triathlon and my sister and I were planning on doing the long course together. The long course is a 1500 meter swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 5 mile run. It was the most difficult physical feat of my life.
 |
| Ruth and me at the 2013 Jackson County Tri |
Here's the lake we are about to get into:
Well I look even happier in this next picture, where I am getting out of the water!
Yes, I was very, very glad the swim was done.
And here is Ruth getting out of the water:
After the swim comes the bike, and here we are getting ready to mount for the bike ride:
Here we are finishing up the bike ride:
I did OK on the bike ride, in spite of my inability to eat anything; but the run came next and that was hell. I had nothing left in my gas tank, I was still breathing too shallowly from my panic attack, and my legs were tired. We jogged more than we walked, but I did walk a portion of the 5 miles. I had a problem with my thighs cramping pretty badly and I started to get migraine type blind spots in my right field of vision. They had water stops every mile and I started using Gu once the cramps started. That helped a lot!! By about the fourth mile of the five mile run, I actually started to feel slightly normal. Ruth and I had found a very slow and steady jogging pace that I could maintain, and we settled down and finished the last mile at a jog.
Here we are crossing the finish line:
So, I finished within regulation time. It took us 3 hours and 42 minutes which is SLOW, but we finished. I am very proud of the fact that I pushed through the panic attack and the painful cramps and finished anyway. I did what I set out to do, I finished my first tri.
Ruth and I are planning on doing it again next year, or perhaps a different tri closer to Ruth's home, but of a similar distance. This year's goal was to finish. Next year's goal is to finish with a better time. Our goal for next year is 3 hours and 15 minutes. This means I have to train!!
I do need to train and train hard, to reach my goal of 3 hours and 15 minutes a year from now; but I took this last week off, in more ways than one. After completing the tri a week ago, I spent the rest of Sunday lying on the couch, reading, and watching TV. I did not want to move a single muscle and I succeeded at that until I got up from the couch and waddled myself to bed. I woke up Monday morning feeling fine, but I did not feel like exercising, so I didn't. I already had training sessions scheduled with my trainer for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so I kept those appointments and we worked hard all three days. I did not do any other exercise this past week. I also ate too much. I ate whatever I felt like and found more than one opportunity to drink this week. I kind of decided that for one week, I just was not going to care about what I ate or drank and I was going to "live it up." It turned out to be a busy week for us, with a ballgame at the K Tuesday night (margaritas, peanuts, ice cream), our first night of league bowling on Wednesday evening (beer and popcorn), another ball game on Friday night (peanuts, only), the grand opening of our friends' winery on Saturday morning (uh...wine - and then lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Higginsville), and our friend's 40th birthday party Saturday night (wine, vodka-gingerale, Chipotle tacos, sushi, sashimi, and birthday cake). It was a very social week. I exercised no self control when it came to food or alcohol. I didn't even try. I didn't even want to try.
What was the result of all of the debauchery? It was not good, let me tell you. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I have easily maintained my weight between 152 - 156 pounds for the last 8 months. A couple of times it swung higher than that, but I would diet for a couple of days and exercise just a little control and it would be back at 154 - 155, easily. After 1 week of not watching my food...actually after 6 days...what did I weigh this morning? 163 pounds!!! Even I couldn't believe it. I weighed myself Monday morning after the tri and I weighed exactly 155.0 pounds. This morning I weighed 163 pounds. 8 pounds in six days. Unreal. Truly crazy. This, my friends, is why I will exercise 6 days a week and watch what I eat, consistently, for the rest of my life. It's just too easy to gain weight. I enjoyed the week. It actually felt good not to monitor everything I put in my mouth for a week. But by Friday I knew that Sunday was the day I would get back at it. I had a lot of fun Saturday, but all day I was looking forward to Sunday, knowing I was going to be back on my program. After weighing myself this morning, I had a vivid reminder of why I do what I do.
So, here is my new chart. Check it out!!!
This is going to require me to be very conscientious about my protein intake, as well as calories and exercise. The bottom section of the chart is where I will record my daily exercise. My goal is 6 hours of exercise a week with a minimum of at least 3 hours of cardio and two hours of strength training, per week. A normal week will probably be two runs, one bike or swim, and 3 strength training sessions. I also have a goal to do one fun activity per month, like a long hike.
The middle section of my chart is where I will record my calories and grams of protein consumed, per day. The top section is for recording my weight. You can see that I expect to drop the first 8 pounds quicker than the rest. I really don't think it will take me 4 weeks to drop the 8 pounds I gained over the last 6 days, but I gave myself a little wiggle room. After that, I tapered off the line a little, because I know this last 15 pounds will be tough. Tough, but not impossible. It will get done. I will weigh 140 pounds by Christmas. I will have less fat and more muscle. I will be well on my way to improving my tri time.
I am going to use the tools that I know work for me. Of course, the chart is a given. The other tool that was very effective for me while I was losing weight was this blog. So yes, it's back up!! At a minimum I will post my morning weight, calories consumed, protein consumed, and exercise from the previous day. Of course, I will also talk about the day-to-day trials and tribulations of losing this last bit of weight and becoming a better athlete. My sister has inspired me. I know I can do this, I just have to work hard. Since when have I been afraid of hard work???
I will be talking to you soon!!
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